Germany’s lacklustre performances in the World Cup in Russia took everyone by surprise. A team that is renowned for tearing up the big tournaments looked like they had turned up for a training session, struggling to get out of first gear. The team of experienced stars like Ozil, Neuer, Hummels and Thomas Muller all headed onto their summer holidays early after the worst World Cup campaign for Germany in 80 years.
In the aftermath of the failings, issues even more concerning than the football performances have emerged, as Mesut Ozil announced his retirement and cited racism he has faced as the key reason. He released a statement that singled out the German Football President Reinhard Grindel, saying: “In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.”
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Ozil feels that his Turkish roots have made him a scapegoat for the German team and no longer wants to play for them whilst he feels that the men at the top of the German Football Association are capable of expressing racism.
Ozil has been voted Germany’s Player of the Year five times out of last six years
This is a huge blow for Germany and it adds to existing political tension regarding a large rise in immigrants since 2014. Mesut Ozil has been voted the national team’s player of the year by fans in five of the last seven years, showing just how highly regarded he is by the majority of fans. He has been integral in the success of the team for so long, particularly the 2014 World Cup win.
Ozil concentrating on Arsenal after Germany retirement
Now Ozil will concentrate on his club football with Arsenal, where he recently ended transfer speculation by signing a new long-term contract. He will be hoping that his retirement from national football will at least enable him to contribute more in an Arsenal shirt, with bigger rest periods when international games are being played